Monday, March 29, 2010

This card was re-worked a few times yesterday, but I just wasn't satisfied with the result. After contemplating some design options while at work today, I got home, made the changes, and now I'm pretty happy with it. I hope you like it too.

Supplies and Recipe:

Stamps: Taylored Expressions' Bakey Business and Window Shopping sets.
Card stock and DSP: All from March 2010 key ingredients
Embellishments: Yellow ribbon and chocolate button
Ink: Memento rich cocoa and memento tuxedo black
Images colored with copics. Adirondack dimensional pearls in expresso is used for the frosting on the cake slice and on the cupcake. Liquid applique is used for the whipped cream on the cake slice and on the strawberry shortcake. The store front awning is paper pieced. Lace is used for the awning trim. The window's bottom ledge is raised with dimensionals.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

For my second post today I'm playing along (for the first time) with the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge. I took my inspiration from the flowers and the pink color in this week's photo and used last week's SSSC layout for the design. This card is for my sweet niece Rachel, who is 17 and, is indeed, one sweet chick. She is also a "pink girl" when it comes to color. This is her Easter card.

Ages ago, when I first started stamping, I purchased single stamps from stamp stores. Remember those wonderful stores? I could spend hours in those stores and I have tons of single stamps to show for all of those hours. These days, they seem to just sit in drawers of plastic stackable storage bins waiting to be used, as my "go to" stamps are those in sets like Stampin' Up and Taylored Expressions. Today, when I saw the angled panel on the SSSC card, so perfect for a large stamp, I decided to look through the drawers and use one of those poor, neglected single stamps.

As the weather today here in San Diego is basically that of a perfect summer day (even though it's only March), my inclination was to use bright summery colors. What could be more fitting than a sunflower to go along with that?

Saturday, March 20, 2010

My second post today is a card I made using Jen's latest SFYTT layout. This sketch seemed to be calling for one of the large layered flowers that have become so popular lately. This is my second try at making a layered flower. I made one several weeks ago using the SU scallop circle punch, following a tutorial I found on YouTube. For a little different look, I made this one using the new SU large flower punch.

It's the first day of Spring. With the pastel colors and the flowers, this card certainly has that feeling. Enjoy!

Work travels had me away for 10 days, so this morning I was "itching" to stamp. Taylor's sketch challenge 105 looked like a fun template for my first card project of the day. (I do plan on making more while watching the Indian Wells Tennis matches on TV this afternoon).

Using the new set by Taylor called "You're My Hero" along with the "Rock Star Key Ingredients" pack, I went to work. I took a little creative license with the sketch by angling the DSP and attaching the element slightly above the banner. Once the DSP was trimmed, there was a "nice" piece left over, which I layered with the pink card stock for the banner in the sketch. I really liked how it turned out and I hope you do to.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Sunday is my day to stamp. This is my second post today and it uses the TESC103 layout. My mom's birthday is a week from today and this is her card.

Recipe:
Choice buttercream and blush blossom card stock. DSP from Dec. Key Ingredients set. Stamp sets are SU Inspired By Nature and Warm Wishes. The flower was colored with SU water color markers directly on the stamp, spritzed with water and stamped on SU water color paper, then cut out with Labels One nesties. Birthday Greetings is stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink. The butterfly is cut from the SU sweet pea DSP pack. To add interest and bling I used some pink rhinestones for the butterfly's flight path. Other supplies include SU Scallop trim border punch, flower lace and dimensionals.

I decided to use this weeks SSSC to get started on my Easter cards. Looking through my DSP stash, I realized that I hadn't used the new Shades of Spring pack from the Spring Occasions Mini. A good time to take care of that! I combined it with last year's "A Good Egg" set. With the embellishments, this turned into a mostly SU card.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Certainly celery, orchid opulence, and whisper white card stock. Shades of spring DSP. A Good Egg stamp set. The certainly celery card is embossed with a SU texturz plate. Embellishments include SU Scallop border punch, filigree and ice brads. SU orchid opulence and bashful blue inks. The chick is stamped with memento tuxedo black and colored with copics. Her shell is paper pieced with the DSP then cut out with square and scallop square nesties and finally popped up with a double layer of dimensionals. The scallop borders are punched with a 1/8" hole punch for more interest. The greeting is also popped up with dimensionals.

Time to watch the red carpet show, then the Oscars. Enjoy your evening.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

WOW! It's been a while since my last post. My mom came for a visit from Northern California over the weekend. I had fun with her instead of stamping. Usually, I don't do much stamping during the week, but I made some time to stamp last night. Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch was to be calling to me.

While this seemed to be a relatively simple design, I struggled with what to do once I sat down to create. My first idea was flowers on the 3 squares, but the image in my mind was not what happened on the card, so that was out. I then thought of this cute Quail family stamp set. (I've had the set for several months but hadn't used it yet). This developed into something more pleasing, and so here it is. I hope you enjoy how it turned out.

Supplies:
All SU. Baja breeze, chocolate chip and whisper white card stock. Retired DSP is holiday happenings. Baja breeze stripped ribbon, felt flowers, and a "fire" round brad used for embellishments. Chocolate chip, creamy caramel, pink passion, and old olive inks. Stamp set is Happy Together. The quail were each stamped twice with one image cut out and popped up over the other with dimensionals.